1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to game feeders and in particular to deer and hog feeders.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The purpose of deer feeders (deer are used as an example herein, but the concepts applicable to deer also apply to other large wild animals, such as wild hogs and the like) is to supplement the deer's food source. Often, harsh weather or other environmental conditions cause a shortage in the deer's food supply. Shortage of food can cause the deer to move to a different territory, or, where that is not possible, the shortage can result in a malnourished deer population. A malnourished deer population is undesirable for various reasons, but is especially troublesome in areas where the deer are hunted because malnutrition results in poorly developed antlers.
Although it is desirable to maintain a well fed deer population, it is also undesirable to provide excessive feed because it makes the deer dependent on the feed. Deer that become dependent on human-provided feed lose their wild characteristics thereby making them less challenging and enjoyable to hunt. Dependency on human-provided feed is also dangerous for deer because if the feed supply is interrupted (for example, the humans are unable to provide the feed for financial or other reasons), the deer will be at even greater risk than if they had never been fed.
Also, deer feeders are often used in far away and/or hard-to-reach places. Therefore, it is undesirable to have to frequently fill the feeders. Ideally, deer feeders dispense small amounts of feed at predetermined intervals.
A large number of deer feeders on the market today are of the general type shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Feeder 8 comprises a large feed storage container 10 supported by legs 12a, 12b, and 12c. A ring 14, of diameter slightly larger than container 10 is connected to container 10. Three receivers 16a, 16b, and 16c are connected to ring 14. Receivers 16a, 16b, and 16c are adapted to receive the upper ends of legs 12a, 12b, and 12c. A conical spout 18 is located on the bottom of container 10. A dispensing mechanism 20 is provided for intermittently propelling the feed from spout 18 away from feeder 8 and onto the ground. Dispensing mechanism 20 has a housing 22 connected to container 10 by means of bracket 24. Inside housing 22 is a motor, power supply (usually a battery), and programming means (these three elements are not shown but are well known in the art). The motor is connected to paddle 26. At various pre-selected times throughout the day, the programming means and power means cause the motor to turn quickly thus turning paddle 26 and propelling a pre-determined amount of feed away from feeder 8.
Legs 12a, 12b, and 12c are sufficiently long to maintain container 10 and dispensing means 20 out of the reach of the deer. The dispensing means 20 must be kept out of reach because otherwise the deer could eat food directly from between the conical spout 18 and the paddle 26, thereby finishing the feed prematurely. Legs 12a, 12b, and 12c are angled outwardly from feeder 8, thereby keeping the feeder balanced.
Sometimes, such feeders are suspended from trees, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,945,859. Still other times, a three leg tepee-like structure is formed in which the tops of the legs come together at the a point, and the feeder is suspended from the top of the tepee. As also shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,945,859, different means of dispensing the feed from the feed container also exist.
Although the deer feeders like those of FIGS. 1 and 2 are generally balanced enough to withstand winds of modest force, they are known to topple when faced with strong winds. Also, wild animals (especially hogs) are notorious for knocking over these types of feeders. Persons have been known to drive stakes through the bottom of the legs of the feeders and into the ground to prevent them from toppling. Although sometimes successful, the stake method is not completely satisfactory because when the ground is muddy the stakes do not hold particularly well.
As a result, many users place fences around the feeders to prevent large animals from knocking the feeders over. Fences of sufficient strength are usually expensive. Also, the feed dispersed inside the fence is often eaten by animals other than the intended recipients of the feed.
The deer feeders of the type shown in FIGS. 1-2 also have the problem of being hard to fill. As discussed above, Deer feeders are generally supported a considerable height above the ground. Although this prevents the deer from taking feed at will from the feed dispensing means, it also makes filling the feeder considerably difficult. In order to fill deer feeders, ladders are often used to gain access to the top of the feeder. Sometimes a vehicle is placed close to the feeder so that the user can climb on the vehicle. Both these methods, in addition to being inconvenient can also be dangerous.
Feeders supported by a single leg, or post, have been used in different applications. For example U.S. Pat. No. 2,544,578, issued to Winkler, discloses a livestock feeding device which is supported by a single leg. However, the Winkler feeding device is not adaptable for feeding deer. This device must be placed within the animal's reach to be functional, and provides no means for limiting the animal's intake of feed.
Another example of a single leg feeder is the birdfeeding device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,750, issued to Ricketts. The Ricketts device is also not adaptable for feeding deer because it must be within the animal's reach to function, and lacks a means for controlling the animal's intake of feed.
A need exists for a deer feeder that can resist toppling by strong winds and wild animals. The need also exists for such a deer feeder to be easily installable and removable. The need also exists for a deer feeder that is easy to fill.